London – The immersive sound lounge was created by the Zaha Hadid Virtual Reality Group for L-Acoustics Creations.

L’Acoustics is a developer of premium audio solutions, known for its Immersive Hyperreal Sound for residential, cultural and experimental spaces. Originally created for professional venues, the company’s sonic sound has been reconfigured as a personal auditorium with a multichannel platform.

Designed by Zaha Hadid’s virtual reality division, which explores emerging immersive technologies, Loop brings together the high-resolution audio of L’Acoustics and a sophisticated design aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, the listening lounge also integrates lighting into its hand-crafted wooden exterior, providing a high-end experience for home virtual reality entertainment.

The concept of the Listening Club is moving from a social hospitality space into the home, as more consumers invest in immersive entertainment systems.

Chicago - Mavely is a new female-focused platform for DTC brands. The app allows shoppers to earn 5% commission on their own purchases, and 10% on any purchases made as a result of their recommendation. By turning their customers into micro-influencers, DTC brands are able to slash the cost of customer acquisition to half that of a Facebook ad. The app already boasts 15,000 products from over 100 ‘philanthropic, affordable, sustainable, female-focused and/or female founded brands’.

‘People naturally want to share the products they love to friends and family, in fact 60% of consumers and 70% of millennials say social content from friends and family impact their purchasing decisions,’ says the brand’s CCO and co-founder Peggy O'Flaherty. ‘We created a platform that allows them to easily tap into an established network of new and exciting brands to earn cash.’

As younger consumers lose faith in traditional retailers, there has been a rise in community-led platforms that bolster trust through peer-to-peer purchasing tips and style advice.

Luxury travellers are breaking away from the much-frequented luxury destinations of the past, according to new data from Ipsos. The US study found that 65% of ‘jet-setters’ – described as the most frequent and biggest spending travellers – prefer to visit places that are ‘off the beaten track’, highlighting the luxury opportunities for less-trodden parts of the globe.

Furthermore, they are not visiting the same places, but always exploring – 85% say they enjoy going to new travel destinations. ’The growth of the 'Instagram vacation' phenomenon is also a factor – there’s been a rise in the feeling of FOMO and a desire to be first to see new places and have unique and interesting experiences while on vacation more and more, driven especially by Millennials,’ says Michael Baer, senior vice president at Ipsos Affluent Intelligence.

For more on how a nomadic mindset is impacting the travel industry, look out for our upcoming macrotrend Liberation Luxury, launching on Thursday 5^th September.